Back in late January we shared the sad news that our Henan Healing Home was asked to close, following an unrelated fire at the house of a Chinese woman who had been fostering orphaned children. As you might know many other charities were also impacted by the fire, as officials worked to decide who exactly was allowed to care for orphaned children. At the time we of course were devastated, as we had the most incredible team of dedicated nannies in place to care for extremely fragile babies. We were told to be patient as new policies were put into place.

Today we are so excited to announce that LWB has been approved to open a new healing center in Henan Province, in full cooperation with the government. We will once again take babies from orphanages throughout China and provide them with the nurturing medical care they need to thrive. Our Starbridge Healing Home will be a joint partnership between LWB and LWB Spain, with baby rooms sponsored by each organization. We will be working to renovate a complete unit by late fall, but for now - since so many orphanages have been calling for medical help - we are using a single large room in the Kaifeng PT Center. All of our nannies are back in place; they and our wonderful home manager Stephanie have been working non-stop to get the area ready for babies. Whereas the Henan Healing Home was strictly for babies born with cleft lip and palate, our Starbridge Healing Home will have a full-time doctor on staff and will take in babies with a wide variety of medical needs.

We are also so happy to let you know that Kate Finco, who ran our medical program so wisely for many years, has returned to LWB to coordinate this new home. We are grateful to have her wonderful leadership skills back on board.